praise

Why Kids Don’t Need Praise (And What They Need Instead)

February 1, 2013

Recently, I was chatting with a mom at the playground about kids’ behavior, and she commented to me that kids need praise and approval from their parents, as there are too many dysfunctional adults in the world to indicate otherwise. To this, my response was, “I think what they need more than praise and approval [...]

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5 Encouraging Phrases Kids Need to Hear

October 29, 2012

It’s no secret that kids need encouragement to thrive. But what exactly does encouragement sound like? It’s different than praise or admiration or guidance. It is common to want to give evaluative feedback to kids for their work (“Good coloring!”), or to tell them what we like about their accomplishments (“I like how you set [...]

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